The Return of Pogo, Our Elf

Several years ago we joined the elf craze and adopted an Elf on the Shelf, straight from the North Pole :).  It's become a labor of love for Daddy and Mommy, but something that our children absolutely LOVE and expect.  I personally love the magic it brings and the fact that the almost-teenager STILL believes.

I know there are a lot of elf-haters out there and I can understand - it's a commitment!  But it is a tradition that works for our family and we love every moment of it.  Eventually they will all lose the "believing" and that magic won't be so special - and I'm treasuring every moment of it!

The other frequent conversation I hear is - "We don't do Santa and the elf - we focus on the real meaning of Christmas."  I don't want to get into any big debates here on this little family blog, but trust me - we do focus on the real meaning first and foremost!  Growing up, my mom loved Christmas the most of any holiday and she did it BIG!  I work really hard to carry on that tradition.  We do Santa for the magic and mystery and child-like belief.  We also teach the real meaning of Christmas right along side of the fantasy.  Our children frequently discuss both aspects simultaneously!  We have Santa alongside Nativities.  Our advent calendars are both candy and bible verses.  Yes, there can be some confusion at times - Bubba is convinced Mary is married to Santa this year - but it just gives us great teaching moments!!!

So please enjoy the magic of our elf, Pogo!  He has lots of tricks up his sleeves --- that Mommy may have all mapped out on a calendar before he arrives :)

Our North Pole Breakfast...this year Pogo brought holiday shirts and made mini pancakes :)

Then he stopped by the bathroom to wish the kids a "toot"-a-rific day...and added in a musical toilet paper roll!

We found him hugging some syrup in our pantry.

And testing our his superhero skills!

He had fun playing with Bubba's dinosaurs (which made for an angry 4-year-old...lol!)

He added his touch to our family pictures and got caught with the evidence!

And to round out the first week, he shared his Naughty/Nice list for Santa...unfortunately, Bubba had a rough week at preschool and it was still undecided which list he belonged on!

(and sadly he's currently been added to the Naughty list...and is working on making a move...without much luck...4 is tough!!!)